Curiosities of History: Boston, September Seventeenth, 1630-1880Wheildon, William W. (William Willder)
History
Curiosities of History: Boston, September Seventeenth, 1630-1880
Wheildon, William W. (William Willder)
Boston (Mass.) -- Description and travel; Boston (Mass.) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
The first mention of any alley is that of Paddy Alley[5] (after a
resident), running from Ann to Middle Street, 1658, but whether so named
before or after the streets which it connects is not known. Rawson's Lane,
afterwards Bromfield's Lane, and now Bromfield Street, 1693; Black Horse
Lane, part of what is now known as Prince Street, 1698; Beer Lane, part of
Richmond Street; Blind Lane, part of Bedford Street; Elbow Alley, which
was in the form of a crescent, from Ann to Cross Street; Pudding Lane,
part of Devonshire Street--all mentioned in 1708, when a list of the names
of the streets, lanes, &c., was prepared and published by the Selectmen.
Among these were Frog Lane, Hog Alley, Sheafe Lane, Blind Lane, Cow Lane,
Flounder Lane, Crab Lane, &c. Probably all these lanes and alleys were
laid out or established, at a much earlier date than that mentioned. Sheep
Lane was first called Hog Lane, in 1789; Turn-again Alley, at an early
date, was near Hamilton Place.
The first lanes and possibly alleys, it has been said, were probably
cow-paths or foot-paths, but at the end of seventy-eight years, in 1708,
they had undoubtedly all received names, peculiar as some of them were.
Most of these lanes--not all of them--were named after residents or owners
in the neighborhood. The alleys were each named after some citizen,
excepting where there might be some local name or peculiarity, as Board
Alley, Brick Alley, Crooked Alley; and so of some of the lanes and
streets, as Bog Lane, Marsh Lane, Well Street, Bath Street, Grape Place,
Granite Place, and some others.
NAMES OF CORNERS.
One of the most curious collections of names in the list of 1879, is that
of "Corners," not now recognized, and, we think, never before recorded,
though occasionally used in defining the limits of streets. Over one
hundred corners are named in this list, of which about eighty of them bear
date of 1708 and 1732. All these are named after persons occupying the
corners, and among them are the following: Antram's Corner, Ballantine's,
Barrill's, Bill's, Bows', and Bull's Corners; Dafforne's, Frary's, and
Frizzel's Corners; Gee's, Meer's, Melynes', Powning's, Ruck's, and
Winsley's Corners, and there were five Clark's Corners in different parts
of the town, in 1708-32. At the present time, as in the early time, the
corners of streets may be spoken of and referred to, but are not
recognized as local names of record.
NAMES OF STREETS, ETC.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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